


'Cause You're My Home

by AbschaumNo1



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dune Setting, Childhood Sweethearts, Getting Together, Growing Up Together, Kid Fic, Multi, we didn't need that right?, yeets canon world building out of the window
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24561928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbschaumNo1/pseuds/AbschaumNo1
Summary: Zed meets Impulse and Tango when he's three and they are five.
Relationships: Zedaph/impulseSV/Tango Tek
Comments: 26
Kudos: 110





	'Cause You're My Home

**Author's Note:**

> Brain looked at Team ZIT with a kid and went brrr.
> 
> Title from You're My Home by Billy Joel.
> 
> Set in the same verse as [Only We Will Remain](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24311767) but can be read as a standalone.
> 
> Feel free to come scream at me on [tumblr.](https://abschaumno1.tumblr.com)

Zedaph meets Impulse and Tango when he is three and they are five. Their families live just down the hall from Zed’s, so he probably has met them before, but that day is the first time he can remember. He had snuck out when his mother hadn’t looked, and he is hiding in a corner, behind a bit of rock, keeping silent and drawing shapes in the sand on the floor. He thinks one of the adults has found him when a shadow appears above him, but a moment later Impulse tumbles down onto him.

He seems surprised to find Zedaph there, but he only puts a finger to his lips and crouches down to hide, and Zed shrugs and turns back to his drawing.

Impulse watches him for a moment, before he sits down and adds his own lines and shapes, and soon enough whatever game he had been involved in would have been forgotten, if it hadn’t been for Tango. Tango, whose head pokes over the rock they are hiding behind, a wide grin on his face, and asks, “What ya doing?”

When the adults finally find them, the three of them had sit in their little hide-out, Tango and Impulse waging some sort of epic drawing battle, while Zed watches, and occasionally adds his own things.

Impulse and Tango include him in more of their games after that, sometimes even ignoring the other kids their age in favour of playing with him instead, and even if he is a bit like their annoying kid brother, following them around, they never make him feel like he is.

It isn’t until later that he realises that before he had come around it had always been Impulse and Tango, and Tango and Impulse. They played with the other kids, sure, but at the end of the day, even at five they were already so close they didn't need anyone else. Except Zed that was. And once Zed was allowed to join them in school everyone seemed to forget that he was younger than them by two years.

Things get more complicated as they get older.

Zed's twelve, the others fourteen, and Ex calls him a baby. He's older than any of them, usually held back by Xisuma, and Zed doesn't actually care because it doesn't matter, but Tango gets this look in his eyes and he disappears for a bit. When he returns he winces a little when he moves his shoulder wrong, but he says everything is fine, and even if they don't believe him they don't press for an answer. Ex doesn't bother Zed again.

Zed's fourteen and he's a bit late to meet up with the others because his mum asked him to help with the dishes. He hears sounds before he rounds the last corner and slows down. When he peeks around it he sees them. Impulse has Tango backed against the wall, his hands on his hips and they're kissing. It looks a little clumsy and there's wet sounds, and Zed knows if they saw him he would be bright red, but he cautiously backs away and leaves. They look occupied and he's happy for them, he doesn't want to disturb them.

Zed's fifteen and they're having a sleepover at Impulse's and he's sandwiched in between Impulse and Tango when Zed mentions that he's never kissed anyone. Impulse kind of looks at him and asks if there's anyone he wants to kiss.

"Maybe," Zed says after a moment.

Impulse smiles and squeezes his shoulder and says, "You'll get there."

Tango moves in a bit closer, and Zed pointedly doesn't think about how nice they both smell, or how much he likes cuddling with them, or the fact that he would very much like to kiss both of them. If he doesn't think about it it's not real.

It gets a little harder later, when Impulse has his arm wrapped around him, drawing idle circles on Zed's shoulder, and Tango is sleepily nuzzling his neck, but if he tries hard enough he can do it. Maybe.

He's sixteen and he's fairly sure Impulse and Tango are still together, but they never actually told him, and he hasn't caught them kissing in a while, so maybe they're not. Zed's not sure which he would prefer to be true. Except it's definitely the third option where he wakes up, one arm asleep because Impulse's head is heavy, Tango's arm and leg somehow thrown across both of them, and he knows it means the same to all of them.

Impulse and Tango are older than him so they go through their coming of age trials first and it's the first time in Zed's life that he actually feels that he's younger.

They try not to let it change anything, but whether they like it or not, it does. They move in together, and sure, Zed spends most of his evenings and some of the nights at their place, but at the end of the day it is theirs and he has to go home to his parents eventually. Besides, they get to do grown-up things now while Zed still has to sit around and learn and count the days until he gets to take his trial.

And he's always enjoyed tinkering just as much as they do, but he feels like he needs his own thing now, something that can make him forget about how he is not quite their equal anymore. Luckily there's Joe and the worms. Joe is glad for the help, and Zed realises he enjoys taking care of the sandworms with him. They're the small ones, bred and kept by the sietch, and they don't care whether Zed has steered one of their big relatives through the open desert or not. They're as tame as sandworms get he realises, and they're far more intelligent than they seem.

They recognise who's coming by the way they walk, Joe explains to him, and when they emerge from the sand close to them, but never close enough to hurt it's not to attack, but play. It doesn't take Zed long to get used to it, and soon enough he walks among them as if it is where he belongs. They like getting the scales at the underside of their maws scritched, he realises, and they will lie perfectly still when he has to clean their teeth.

The first time Tango and Impulse find him sitting in the sand, his back leaning against the tail of a worm that's curled around him in a wide arch while he gently cleans the scales around its maw they look alarmed, but Zed only waves at them and goes back to his work. He finishes, and pets the worm for a bit, softly telling it how good it was about holding still, before he gets up. The worm waits until he's far enough away that he won't get pulled under, before it burrows back into the sand and disappears.

"That did not look safe," Tango says when Zed reaches them. "You almost gave me a heart attack." He slings an arm around Zed's shoulders, a casual show of affection. "And please don't tell me you do this all the time."

Impulse laughs, the sound warm and fond, before he reaches out and gently tugs the hood of Zed's robes a little deeper into his face to shield him better from the sun.

"I'm sure Zed knows what he's doing," he says, and Zed can only see his eyes, but the look in them almost takes his breath away.

"I'm just saying. I'll sleep better not knowing if he just casually pets sandworms on a regular basis," Tango says, still holding on to him.

"Says the guy who can literally sleep through anything." Zed allows himself to lean into it a little, and it only makes Tango's arm tighten around him.

It feels like he almost pulls Zed closer to actually embrace him fully, and he thinks he can see Impulse's fingers twitch, as if he wants to reach out himself.

But neither of them do anything, and Zed doesn't mention it when they pull him away to hang out for the evening, or even when they all end up in the same bed again, Tango spooning Zed, his face buried against his neck, and Impulse facing him, fingers curled in Zed's clothes, their foreheads almost touching.

It doesn't mean what he wants it to mean though.

When his trial finally gets set, he almost can't believe that the day is finally close when he won't feel left behind anymore.

Impulse and Tango are almost as excited as he is, and insist that he uses one hook from each of them. It's Joe who picks the spot, but it's not real until Zed faces the worm, so much larger than the ones he knows from home, and wild, and unlike his worms he knows this one won't be cautious about not hurting anyone when it is done carrying them.

And then after Xisuma presents him with his crysknife and the celebration has died down, Impulse and Tango take him along to their rooms, and they fall asleep in a tangle of limbs.

They're already awake when he opens his eyes again, having a whispered conversation, and Impulse is holding him close, while Tango's fingers are tracing along Impulse's arm. It's Tango who realises that he's awake, and smiles at him, all happy and soft, and then Impulse moves and Zed immediately misses having him close, but then he's lying on his back, the two of them on each side, looking at him, and he realises that it's love he keeps seeing in their eyes.

"So we didn't want to say anything before," Impulse starts, "But now that you passed your trial we thought…"

"We thought we should tell you how we feel. About you, you know." Tango picks up seamlessly where Impulse trails off, and Zed looks between them, sees the way they both seem a little nervous, and he has to swallow.

"How long?" is all he can think to ask.

Impulse's shoulders relax a little.

"A while," he says. "It took us a bit to figure it all out, and then we thought it would be best to wait."

"So all this time…"

"Yes, all this time," Tango says. He's the first to reach out, and he cups Zed's cheek in a gentle gesture. "It just never felt right without you."

Zed has to smile then, and he puts an arm around each of them and pulls them close.

"And all this time I thought I couldn't…" He laughs a little watery, and he doesn't even know where to begin, but Tango gently turns his head to face him and leans in and kisses him, soft and chaste, and then Impulse does the same and Zed can only smile happily.

And maybe it meant what he wanted it to mean all along.

There is a young family just down the hall from where they live. Reem and Malik are both part of Scar's terraforming crew, and Chani, their little daughter, is the light of their lives. Zed likes them, and he adores Chani. Tango and Impulse always act amused by it, but Zed knows them long enough to be able to tell that they are firmly wrapped around Chani's tiny little fingers.

Chani is just over eighteen months old when Reem and Malik go out to work and don't return.

There had been a communications issue, Impulse tells him later, and when the storm had been detected, too late for anyone's comfort, Reem and Malik didn't get the warning. They hadn't made it back in time, and even though Xisuma had ordered a search, headed by Doc, there is little to no hope of actually finding them.

The whole sietch is subdued, and when Zed goes out to the sandworms the next day, he can tell they’re picking up on his mood somehow.

Joe joins him eventually and they silently work side by side for a while.

"Chani's with us right now you know?" Joe says eventually. "They're not sure what to do with her, yet." He stops and looks out over the sand. "Xisuma says it's his responsibility to take her in, but Cleo doesn't think he should. He's too busy leading us, and even if he would love her and take care of her, she doesn't think he's the right person for it right now." Joe sighs. "Sorry for unloading all of this on you. I just needed to needed to share it with someone."

"She's a sweet little girl," Zed says. "I babysat her a few times so Reem and Malik could get a break."

"Maybe you could come over at some point. I think she could use a more familiar face."

"I will," Zed promises.

He goes home with Joe the next evening, and it’s supposed to be a short visit, he doesn't want to bother Cleo and Joe after all. Except when Chani sees him, her face lights up and she makes a grabbing motion towards him, and he barely manages to say hello to Cleo before he sits down and picks her up. She babbles something that resembles his name and curls into his chest, as he starts talking to her. The way she clutches at his clothes, as if she is afraid that he'd disappear again almost breaks his heart. He is glad when the gentle rocking motion he had started up slowly lulls her into peaceful sleep.

When he looks up Cleo is watching him, her head tilted to the side curiously.

"I think that's the fastest I have seen her fall asleep since she's been with us," she says.

Zed swallows. "Really?" He asks. "She's never had trouble with that. Reem always said she was glad about it."

"She fusses a lot. She misses her mum." Cleo sighs. "Thank you for coming. She needed that. She doesn't get what's going on, I think, but she realises that something's not quite right."

Zed looks down at Chani, who is still clutching at his shirt, drooling a little on the fabric in her sleep.

“Can I stay for a bit?” he asks, and Cleo’s expression goes soft.

“Absolutely,” she says. “I’m glad about every moment of peace I can get.”

Zed chuckles, careful not to disturb Chani too much, before he adjusts his hold on her, and lets her settle in more comfortably.

He’s still sitting there, talking lowly to Cleo and Joe, when Impulse comes to find him a few hours later. He smiles softly when he sees Zed with the small child in his arms.

“We were wondering why you hadn’t come home yet,” he says.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise how late it was.” Zed bites his lip, feeling a little guilty.

But Impulse only comes to his side and presses a kiss to his temple.

“It’s fine,” he says. “We weren’t worried. I just thought I’d check up on you.” He looks down at Chani and adds, “How is she doing?”

“Cleo says she has trouble sleeping. Apparently this is the first time in a few days that she sleeps this well.”

Zed sighs sadly, before he gently pries his shirt from Chani’s grip.

“I should go home,” he says to Cleo and Joe. “Would…would it be okay if I come visit her more often?”

“If it means that she will just fall asleep like that you can come as much as you like,” Cleo says. “I won’t complain about that.”

Zed ducks his head with a smile and walks over to Chani’s pram. She almost wakes up when he places her inside, but when Zed smooths his hand over her head, and softly tells her that he will return, she settles back down.

When he turns back the expression on Impulse’s face is… complicated. There’s fondness, love, but also something thoughtful, as if Impulse is considering something. But when Zed raises his eyebrow questioningly, Impulse only smiles and shakes his head.

Whatever it is, Zed’s sure he will find out eventually.

He doesn't expect to come to Cleo's and Joe's place the next evening and see Tango standing in the middle of the room, Chani's hands safely in his as he helps her stand and telling her how amazing she's doing. Impulse is sitting close by, watching with a smile. Chani's legs falter her when she looks up and sees Zed, but Tango lifts her up before anything can happen and then she's laughing as he lifts her up high enough to deposit her into Zed's arms.

Tango smiles at him and quickly leans in for a peck on his lips once Zed is holding her securely, and Zed just kind of melts a little.

"We thought we should come visit her as well," Tango explains, and there's a soft look on his face as he gently runs a hand over Chani's head.

She turns her head to look at him and says, "Dago," and Zed can see the split second it takes Tango to realise that she just said his name. He thinks Tango might cry.

But then Chani turns to where Impulse is just getting up and adds, "Imby."

Impulse looks surprised but then he steps in and says, "Yes, that's me. You got that right."

She giggles and when she looks up at Zed she reaches out with a tiny hand and goes, "Zed," before she leans her head against his shoulder with another giggle.

And now Zed himself goes a little misty eyed as he looks at them, because wow.

Impulse rests a hand on his back, running it gently up and down between his shoulder blades, and when Zed meets first his eyes and then Tango's he thinks that maybe this is something they should talk about later.

In the end the decision is not hard to make. Sure, they talk about it, and there's some reluctance as well, because what do they know about raising a child? But at the end of the day, neither did Reem and Malik, and neither did their parents once upon a time. It helps that Cleo approaches them to outright tell them that she thinks they're the right people for Chani, and that they should please decide to adopt her because she's running out of reasons for Xisuma.

The last part makes them all chuckle, and really at that point they only share a look with each other and nod, because right now Chani is fast asleep in Tango's arms, huddled up against his chest, and there's no way they're giving her up again. If Xisuma really wants to he can still babysit.

It all goes quickly after that. Cleo and Joe come over to help get their rooms in shape for a small child, Stress helps Tango get what things Chani still has at Reem's and Malik's empty place, their mothers, seemingly thrilled to be grandmothers, try to help with about a million tips and things to be mindful of that Cleo tells them to forget about immediately, and then Xisuma comes by to show them the new entry in the sietch records that shows Chani is part of their family now, and they finally get to take her home.

She sleeps with them the first night, because she doesn't seem to want to let go of any of them except to hold on to someone else. But she seems happy enough lying between Zed and Tango, holding on to one of Impulse's fingers where he has his arm wrapped around Zed from behind. And for a moment Zed worries because Tango isn't exactly known to be a calm sleeper, but then he sees the love in Tango's eyes when he watches her, and the way he cautiously curls around her, and he shakes it off. Tango won't hurt Chani.

And as Zed closes his eyes he smiles, because this right here is his family.


End file.
